The Turnbo Manuscripts

by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925

We have on a few occasions criticized the way some of the commanders of
the confederate army had men shot for desertion. The Civil War was between
ourselves, some believed one way and others saw different. Hundreds and
thousands took their stand at the commencement of the war and remained true
to their convictions. These men belonged to both sides. But there were others
that fought in the southern army that did not desire to take any part in
Civil War and wanted to be with their families in order to give them protection
as far as possible from thieves and irregulars of both sides, but were forced
into the army. But they, having no interest or love for war, would sometimes
leave without permission and visit their families and were arrested and
brought back to camp charged with the crime of desertion, court martialed
and executed. Mr. Fie Snow, who was a confederate soldier under the command
of Captain Charles Newman, Company F, Fagans 22nd Arkansas Regiment
of Infantry. Colonel Fagan, after he was promoted to a Brigadier General,
was succeeded in the command of the regiment by Colonel Jim King. "One
day," said Mr. Snow, "while we were in Camp Marrard just south
of the Arkansas River from Van Buren, a bunch of our cavalry brought two
of our men into camp that had gone home without leave, and were reported
as deserters. They were put under a strict guard and word was sent to General
T. C. Hindman. The two men were court martialed and sentenced to be shot
and General Hindman approved of it. The time of execution was set on the
following day after they were condemned.

When the detail was drawn to do the shooting, I was compelled to be on
that detail. Sometime before the hour that the execution was to occur the
two unfortunate men were conducted under a heavy guard to the northeast
corner of the Marrard Prairie where part of the army had assembled by order
of Hindman to witness the execution. After the preliminaries had been completed
the two men were ordered to stand up side and side and their legs were pinioned
together and their hands were tied behind their backs, then they were blindfolded
and our detail which was in command of Captain Newman, who had volunteered
to take charge of us, was ordered up and the officer in command of us lined
us up in front of the doomed men and the usual order ready, aim, fire in
such cases was given us. At the report of the guns one of the men fell back
dead and the other dropped to the ground awfully wounded, his suffering
was so great that he lay writhing on the ground in agony and cried out in
piteous tones, "Oh, boys, shoot me again and end this torture. My suffering
is unbearable." Captain Newman ordered six of the men to reload their
guns and while this was going on the captain ordered us to raise the man
up and seat him against a tree, and as soon as the men had finished reloading
their guns, a second volley was fired into his chest which killed him instantly.
Fortunately for myself, I was not one of the six men that had to reload
and shoot again, but I was one of them that was ordered to raise the man
up and put him against the tree, which I obeyed. But to my surprise and
satisfaction, I discovered afterward that my gun failed to discharge its
contents by snapping only. I had a great aversion in the wholesale shooting
men and rejoiced to know that a bullet from my gun did not help murder these
men. But I kept this to myself as long as I remained in the army."